Magic Heidi Receipt template Switzerland: copy, fill in online or download
Free Swiss receipt template: fill it in online in English and print or save as PDF, or copy the text. Word, Excel and PDF in English. Art. 88 CO.
Founder of Magic Heidi
A receipt confirms that you received money. In German-speaking Switzerland it's called a Quittung (in French quittance or reçu, in Italian ricevuta). Whoever pays can ask for one: that right comes from Art. 88 of the Swiss Code of Obligations. On it go the date, the amount, what was paid for, the payer, the person who received the money and a signature.
Three ways to get one, all free and without signup: copy the English text below, fill in the online receipt generator in English and print it or save it as a PDF, or download the Word, Excel and PDF files in English.
Payment receipt template in English (copy and paste)
RECEIPT Receipt no.: ________
Confirmation of payment (Art. 88 CO) Date: ________
ISSUED BY (who received the money) PAID BY (who paid)
Name / company: ____________________ Name: ____________________
Street & no.: ____________________ Street & no.: ____________________
Postcode, town: ____________________ Postcode, town: __________________
Description of goods / service:
_____________________________________________________________________
Amount received: CHF _______________
Amount in words: _________________________________________________
Payment method: ☐ Cash ☐ TWINT ☐ Bank transfer ☐ Other
Place, date: __________________ Issuer's signature: __________________
VAT-registered? Add your UID number with the suffix MWST (CHE-123.456.789 MWST), the date of supply, the net amount, the VAT rate and the VAT amount. A filled-in VAT example is further down.
Fill in a receipt online and save it as PDF
Enter your details, check the preview and click "Print / save as PDF". In the print dialog choose "Save as PDF". If you pick a VAT rate, the generator calculates the VAT share out of the amount. Your data stays in your browser.
Key takeaways
- Every receipt needs a date, amount, description, payer, the person receiving the money, and a signature.
- Private sale: the buyer's name and address are not required by law, but recommended.
- VAT-registered businesses: UID number with the suffix "MWST", the VAT rate and, for the buyer's input tax deduction, the buyer's name and place. Only receipts from automated cash registers up to CHF 400 may leave the buyer out (Art. 26 para. 3 VAT Act with Art. 57 VAT Ordinance).
- A signature is not always legally required, but without one a receipt carries little weight as evidence. Always sign.
- Also write the amount in words, so nobody can add a digit later.
- Keep business receipts for 10 years (Art. 958f CO); as a private person, keep them as long as warranty claims or disputes are possible.
Download the receipt templates
Four free files in English, no signup and no email address. They have the same fields as the text above: confirmation of payment under Art. 88 CO, issuer and payer, amount, payment method and signature.
Simple receipt (Word)
For private sales and cash payments. All key fields, no VAT line.
Receipt with VAT (Word)
For VAT-registered self-employed people. With UID number, VAT rate and VAT amount.
Business receipt (Excel)
Several line items. Calculates subtotal, VAT and total automatically.
Receipt PDF
Print-ready, to fill in by hand. Print, fill in, sign.
Rather skip the paperwork? In Magic Heidi you take a photo of the receipts you get, and amount, date and VAT are captured automatically. Start free with 3 invoices and 3 receipts, or try Pro for 7 days.
- Word: add your logo, fill it in on your computer, save as PDF or print. The simple version is for private sales and cash payments, the VAT version for VAT-registered self-employed people.
- Printable PDF: print on A4, fill in with a pen, sign. Handy for a market stall or a second-hand sale; print a few copies to keep in stock.
- Excel: calculates the net amount, VAT and total for you, ideal for several items.
Paid by a German-speaking client? The same templates exist in German (Quittung): simple, with VAT, Excel and PDF.
If you keep a cash box, enter every receipt in your cash book as well: there's a free cash book template in Excel (German labels). More free templates for invoices, quotes and more are in the overview of all templates.
What must be on a receipt in Switzerland?
Switzerland has no standalone "receipt law". Art. 88 CO gives whoever pays the right to a receipt, but it doesn't prescribe a form. For VAT-registered businesses the VAT Act adds requirements (Art. 26 VAT Act).
What goes on every receipt
- Receipt number or sequential number
- Date of payment
- Name and address of the issuer (who received the money)
- Name of the payer (who paid)
- Description of the goods or service
- Amount in CHF (or another currency), ideally also in words
- Signature of the issuer
Most of these take you less than a minute to fill in.
Buyer's address: when is it needed?
- Private sale (bike, furniture, second-hand items): the buyer's name and address are not required by law, at any amount. They're still worth adding, for example if warranty, theft or a dispute comes up later.
- VAT-registered businesses: for the buyer to deduct input tax easily, the receipt should as a rule show the buyer's name and place as used in business dealings (Art. 26 para. 2 VAT Act). The only exception: receipts from automated cash registers up to CHF 400 may omit the buyer's details (Art. 57 VAT Ordinance).
VAT details for registered businesses
If you're VAT-registered (turnover from CHF 100'000 a year, Art. 10 VAT Act), your receipt also needs:
- UID number with the suffix "MWST" (e.g. CHE-123.456.789 MWST)
- VAT rate: 8.1% standard, 2.6% reduced (e.g. food, books), 3.8% accommodation
- VAT amount: if the price includes VAT, the rate is legally enough; showing the amount separately is common and more practical for the buyer
- Buyer's name and place (except on cash-register receipts up to CHF 400, see above)
Without these details your client can't claim an input tax deduction.
Filled-in receipt example with VAT
Imagine you're a VAT-registered graphic designer and a client pays you in cash after a workshop:
RECEIPT No. 2026-003
Date: 4 May 2026
Issued by:
Anna Meier
Bahnhofstrasse 12
8001 Zürich
CHE-111.222.333 MWST
Received from:
Example SME GmbH
Lagerstrasse 5
8004 Zürich
Description Amount
-----------------------------------------------
Graphic design workshop (4 hrs) CHF 480.00
Total incl. 8.1% VAT: CHF 480.00
Net amount: CHF 444.03
VAT 8.1%: CHF 35.97
In words: four hundred and eighty francs
Payment method: Cash
Amount received with thanks.
Zürich, 4 May 2026 _________________________
Signature Anna Meier
How to calculate the VAT out of an amount that includes VAT: 480.00 ÷ 1.081 = 444.03 net; 480.00 − 444.03 = 35.97 VAT. The generator above does this automatically, and so does the VAT calculator.
Common mistakes when writing a receipt
- No signature. Not always legally required, but without one the receipt is hardly evidence. A stamp alone doesn't replace it.
- VAT forgotten. If you're VAT-registered and don't show the rate or amount, your client gets a document that makes their input tax deduction hard to prove.
- Buyer missing on a VAT receipt. Without the buyer's name and place, a detail Art. 26 VAT Act usually requires is missing, except on cash-register receipts up to CHF 400.
- Amount only in figures. "80" easily becomes "180". Also write the amount in words.
- Description too vague. "Service" isn't enough. Be specific: "Graphic design workshop, 4 hours" or "Used bike, Scott Scale 970".
When do you need a receipt?
Cash payments and sales in person
The classic case. When someone pays cash, there's no bank record. The receipt is then the only proof that the money changed hands.
Under Art. 88 CO, whoever pays can ask for a receipt. If your client asks for one, you have to issue it.
Deposits and partial payments
For larger projects, freelancers often agree on a deposit. Example: Marco is a web developer and asks for a 50% deposit on a CHF 6'000 website project. The client hands over CHF 3'000 in cash. Marco issues a receipt for CHF 3'000 with the note "Deposit for website redesign, project no. 2026-W12". Both sides are covered.
Private sales (second-hand, furniture, bikes)
Selling your old road bike for CHF 800 on Ricardo or at a flea market? A receipt protects both sides: the buyer has proof for their insurance (in case the bike is stolen), and you have proof that you received the money.
Private sales carry no VAT, so the receipt is simple: date, item, amount, both names, signature.
Rent receipt
If a tenant pays rent in cash, the landlord should issue a receipt, especially with subletting or informal arrangements. The receipt proves the rent was paid.
TWINT and digital payments
With TWINT, card or bank transfer there's already a digital payment record (bank statement, TWINT confirmation), so a separate receipt isn't necessary. If the client still wants one, note the payment method: "Paid by TWINT on 04.05.2026".
Receipt vs. invoice: what's the difference?
| Receipt (Quittung) | Invoice (Rechnung) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Confirms payment was made | Requests payment |
| Timing | After payment | Before payment |
| Legal basis | Art. 88 CO | Art. 26 VAT Act (for VAT-registered businesses) |
| When needed | Mainly for cash payments | For business services |
| Signature | Recommended, by the recipient | Not needed |
In short: an invoice says "please pay", a receipt says "thanks, money received".
When is a receipted invoice enough?
Most freelancers don't issue a separate receipt; they add a note to the invoice:
"Amount of CHF 480.00 received in cash on 04.05.2026." Signature: ___________
A receipted invoice is equivalent to a separate receipt as long as all details are on it. If the invoice should also be payable, create it as a QR-bill; the payment part replaces the old payment slip. An English template is on the invoice template page.
Receipts as a freelancer or self-employed person
As a freelancer you usually issue invoices, not receipts. You only need a separate receipt in a few cases:
- Cash-paid services without a prior invoice
- On-the-spot confirmation at a market stall, for trades work on site or at workshops
- At the client's request after a cash payment
Lisa is a yoga teacher in Bern and gives private lessons. Some clients pay cash after each lesson. Instead of writing an invoice every time, she issues a short receipt: "Private yoga lesson, 60 min., CHF 120, received in cash." At the end of the month she enters all income in her bookkeeping.
Self-made receipt when the original is lost
Lost a receipt? You can create a self-made receipt (Eigenbeleg): a note with the date, amount, purpose of the expense, why the original is missing, and your signature. It makes the expense traceable in your bookkeeping, but as a rule gives no input tax deduction. All required details and a fill-in template are in the guide to the self-made receipt (Eigenbeleg).
How long do you have to keep receipts?
Under Art. 958f CO, business records must be kept for 10 years. This applies to:
- all receipts you've issued
- all receipts and vouchers you've received
- digital copies (scans, photos), as long as they reproduce the content completely and legibly
As a private person you have no legal retention duty. Still, keep receipts as long as warranty claims or disputes are possible.
Scan or photograph paper receipts promptly: thermal paper fades and slips get lost. Make sure the digital copy is complete and easy to read.
